The ‘rarest’ 50p coin is now in circulation – here’s where you could find one

The Royal Mint has this week released a special edition 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p coin (Photo: Royal Mint)

Claire Schofield

Published:1:12 pmSeptember 10, 2019

Having loads of change rattling around in your pocket can be annoying, but those loose coins may actually be more valuable than you might think.

It is worth rummaging through any spare change you have as the UK’s rarest 50 pence piece has just been released into circulation – and it could be worth thousands of pounds.

2019 Peter Rabbit coin

The Royal Mint has this week released a special edition 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p coin, but to get one collectors will have to pay £10.

The coins are available to buy on the Royal Mint website and were not intended for general circulation when they were released.

The Royal Mint stated, “The Peter Rabbit 2019 coin is a commemorative only coin. These will not be entering general circulation.”

However, hundreds of the special edition coins have now been circulated to the public and could be found among your loose change.

400 coins circulated

The coins have entered general circulation thanks to the Great British Coin Hunt team, who are putting 400 of the originally non-released 50ps into the hands of the public, giving people an opportunity to own one at face value.

From this month, the coins will be spent in coffee shops, parking meters and vending machines across the country, with 10 having already been circulated in the South West, according to Devon Live.

Kellie, one of the Great British Coin Hunt team, said, “We are circulating the 2019 Peter Rabbit. We’re hoping we’re going to get 40 volunteers to help us do this around the country.

“I’m in Devon this weekend visiting the family, so I’m circulating the coins around this area.”

Ian Lambert, owner of the Great British Coin Hunt, has released the first 20 locations of where the coins have been put into circulation in a video posted online.

Updates on the release of the coins can be found on the Great British Coin Hunt’s YouTube channel, so keen collectors can help track them down.

The commemorative coins were not intended for general circulation, but 400 have been released to the general public (Photo: Royal Mint)

The Beatrix Potter coin collection

In 2016, The Royal Mint created a collection of special 50p coins to mark 150 years since the birth of Beatrix Potter.

The limited edition coins depict characters from the author’s popular children’s story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, with Peter Rabbit proving to be one of the most popular (and most valuable) coins in the series.

The 2016 coins are the rarest of the Peter Rabbit designs and feature an up-close portrait of the character’s face.

In 2017, another set of silver and coloured edition coins were released, depicting the rabbit mid-run, and 2018 design featured a colourful Peter munching on a carrot.

But with 400 of the previously packaged and uncirculated 2019 coins now in general release, the latest design could now be considered the rarest due to the low quantity.